History and Physical Exam
The most commonly used physical assessment technique; it involves listening to sounds produced by the body with the aid of a stethoscope placed on the bare skin.
What is auscultation?
Fine, high-pitched, discontinuous sounds heard during auscultation of the lungs.
What are crackles?
Slow respiratory rate.
What is bradypnea?
A sound heard in newborns with respiratory distress. It occurs when the glottis closes as the body attempts to maintain lung volume.
What is grunting?
A repeating pattern of breathing in which the rate and depth of breathing increase to a peak, followed by a decrease in the rate and depth of breathing, followed by a period of apnea.
What is Cheyne-Stokes breathing?
A deep, rumbling respiratory sound that is more pronounced in auscultation on expiration and is usually continuous; it is caused by air passing through a partially obstructed airway (e.g. secretions)
What is rhonchi/coarse?
A bluish hue to the skin that suggests hemoglobin is poorly saturated with oxygen.
What is cyanosis?
2 or more contiguous rib fractures with 2 or more breaks per rib. This causes chest wall destabilization.
What is flail chest?